U.S. patent number 9,786,811 [Application Number 13/833,272] was granted by the patent office on 2017-10-10 for tilted emission led array.
This patent grant is currently assigned to CREE, INC.. The grantee listed for this patent is Cree, Inc.. Invention is credited to David T. Emerson, Bernd Keller, Theodore D. Lowes, Fabian Rol, Eric Tarsa.
United States Patent |
9,786,811 |
Rol , et al. |
October 10, 2017 |
Tilted emission LED array
Abstract
The present disclosure is directed to LED components, and
systems using such components, having a light emission profile that
may be controlled independently of the lens shape by varying the
position and/or orientation of LED chips with respect to one or
both of an overlying lens and the surface of the component. For
example, the optical centers of the LED emitting surface and the
lens, which are normally aligned, may be offset from each other to
generate a controlled and predictable emission profile. The LED
chips may be positioned to provide a peak emission shifted from a
perpendicular centerline of the lens base. The use of offset
emitters allows for LED components with shifted or tilted emission
patterns, without causing output at high angles of the components.
This is beneficial as it allows a lighting system to have tilted
emission from the LED component and primary optics.
Inventors: |
Rol; Fabian (Goleta, CA),
Tarsa; Eric (Goleta, CA), Keller; Bernd (Santa Barbara,
CA), Lowes; Theodore D. (Lompoc, CA), Emerson; David
T. (Chapel Hill, NC) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Cree, Inc. |
Durham |
NC |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
CREE, INC. (Durham,
NC)
|
Family
ID: |
48428650 |
Appl.
No.: |
13/833,272 |
Filed: |
March 15, 2013 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20140117386 A1 |
May 1, 2014 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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13021496 |
Feb 4, 2011 |
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13441540 |
Apr 6, 2012 |
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13441558 |
Apr 6, 2012 |
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61650659 |
May 23, 2012 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L
33/08 (20130101); H01L 25/0753 (20130101); H01L
33/58 (20130101); H01L 33/54 (20130101); H01L
33/20 (20130101); H01L 2924/0002 (20130101); H01L
2924/0002 (20130101); H01L 2924/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01L
29/18 (20060101); H01L 33/00 (20100101); H01L
33/08 (20100101); H01L 25/075 (20060101); H01L
33/58 (20100101); H01L 33/20 (20100101); H01L
33/54 (20100101) |
Field of
Search: |
;257/88 |
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|
Primary Examiner: Anya; Igwe U
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Koppel, Patrick, Heybl &
Philpott
Parent Case Text
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application
Ser. No. 61/650,659, filed on 23 May 2012, and is a continuation in
part of and claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
13/021,496, entitled "Light-Emitting Diode Component", filed on
Feb. 4, 2011, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/441,540, entitled
"Multi-Lens LED-Array Optic System", filed on Apr. 6, 2012, and
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/441,558, entitled "LED-Array
Light Source With Aspect Ratio Greater Than 1", filed on Apr. 6,
2012.
Claims
We claim:
1. A light emitting diode (LED) component system comprising: a
housing; a plurality of LED components within the housing, such
that light emitted from the housing comprises a peak emission
shifted from a perpendicular centerline of the housing; each of the
plurality of LED components comprising: at least one LED chip on a
mounting surface; and a primary optical lens on the at least one
LED chip and comprising a lens base attached to the mounting
surface such that the at least one LED chip and the lens base are
aligned along the same plane, wherein the at least one LED chip is
displaced in relation to the centerline of said lens base wherein
the average peak emission of said at least one LED chip is shifted
from a perpendicular centerline of the lens base.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein a center CA of the at least one
LED chip is displaced from a center CL of the lens base by a
displacement distance D.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the center CA of the at least one
LED chip is displaced from a center CS of the surface of the
mounting surface.
4. The system of claim 2, wherein the center CL of the lens base is
displaced from a center CS of the surface of the mounting
surface.
5. The system of claim 2, further comprising at least one array of
LED chips on the mounting surface, the array comprising a center Cx
displaced from the center CL of the lens base.
6. The system of claim 2, wherein said at least one LED chip
comprises an array of LED chips comprising a primary subsection and
at least one additional subsection, the additional subsection being
displaced from the primary subsection on the mounting surface,
wherein the center CA of the array is defined with respect to the
primary subsection and the at least one additional subsection being
positioned together.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the peak emission shifting of
light emitted from the housing is achieved at least in part by the
LED component structure.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one LED chip is
mounted at a non-zero angle .gamma. with respect to the mounting
surface, the LED chip thereby comprising a tilt .tau. with respect
to the perpendicular centerline.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein an amount of the non-zero angle
.gamma. lies between approximately 5.degree. and approximately
35.degree., and an amount of the tilt .tau. lies between
approximately 55.degree. and 85.degree..
10. The system of claim 8, wherein a plurality of the at least one
LED chips comprise the tilt .tau..
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of the at least
one LED chips comprising the tilt .tau. include from about 25% to
about 75% of the at least one LED chips.
12. The system of claim 10, wherein an amount of the tilt .tau. is
the same for each of the at least one LED chips comprising the tilt
.tau..
13. The system of claim 10, wherein an amount of the tilt is
different for at least one of the LED chips comprising the tilt T
from the amount of tilt of another one of the at least one LED
chips.
14. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one LED chip
comprises an array of LED chips, wherein a center CA of the array
is displaced from a center CL of the lens base by a displacement
distance D, and wherein at least one of the LED chips is mounted at
a non-zero angle .gamma. with respect to the mounting surface, the
LED chip thereby comprising a tilt .tau. with respect to the
perpendicular centerline.
15. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical lens comprises an
asymmetric shape.
16. The system of claim 1, wherein the peak emission comprises a
shift from the perpendicular centerline of between approximately 5
degrees and approximately 30 degrees.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the peak emission comprises a
shift from the perpendicular centerline of between approximately 10
degrees and approximately 20 degrees.
18. The system of claim 1, in which the mounting surface is a
substrate.
19. The system of claim 1, in which the mounting surface is a board
placed within the housing.
20. The system of claim 1, in which the system comprises a higher
optical efficiency than systems with LED components without peak
emission shifting.
21. The system of claim 1, in which a lens array is placed over the
LED components.
22. The system of claim 1, further comprising a connector for
receiving power.
23. The system of claim 1, in which the at least one LED chip
comprises a disordered array of LED chips.
24. The system of claim 1, in which the at least one LED chip
comprises an array of LED chips.
25. The system of claim 24, in which the array of LED chips
comprises an area which comprises an aspect ratio greater than
1.
26. The system of claim 25, in which the area of the array of LED
chips is substantially rectangular.
27. The system of claim 25, in which the area of the array of LED
chips is irregular.
28. A light emitting diode (LED) component system comprising: a
housing; a plurality of LED components within the housing, such
that light emitted from the housing comprises a peak emission
shifted from a perpendicular centerline of the housing; each of the
plurality of LED components comprising: at least one LED chip on a
mounting surface, said mounting surface comprising a board placed
within the housing; and an optical lens on the at least one LED
chip and comprising a lens base attached to the mounting surface,
wherein the at least one LED chip is positioned at an angle with
respect to the mounting surface to provide a peak emission shifted
from a perpendicular centerline of the lens base.
29. A light emitting diode (LED) component system comprising: a
housing; a plurality of LED components within the housing, such
that light emitted from the housing comprises a peak emission
shifted from a perpendicular centerline of the housing; each of the
plurality of LED components comprising: at least one LED chip on a
mounting surface; and an optical lens on the at least one LED chip
and comprising a lens base attached to the mounting surface,
wherein the at least one LED chip is positioned to provide a peak
emission shifted from a perpendicular centerline of the lens base,
in which the board comprises holes for aligning a secondary optic,
wherein the secondary optic is separate from the optical lens.
30. A light emitting diode (LED) component system comprising: a
housing; a mounting board within the housing; a plurality of LED
components on the mounting board, each of the plurality of LED
components comprising: at least one LED chip on the mounting board;
and a primary optical lens overlying the at least one LED chip, the
optical lens comprising a lens base on a side of the lens adjacent
to the at least one LED chip, wherein said at least one LED chip is
displaced in relation to the centerline of said lens base, wherein
said at least one LED chip is angled with respect to the mounting
board, wherein the average peak emission of said at least one LED
chip is shifted from a perpendicular centerline of the housing.
31. The system of claim 30, in which the LED chips are positioned
to provide a peak emission shifted from a perpendicular centerline
of the lens base.
32. The system of claim 31, in which the system comprises a higher
optical efficiency than systems with LED components without peak
emission shifting.
33. The system of claim 30, wherein a center CA of the at least one
LED chip is displaced from a center CL of the lens base by a
displacement distance D.
34. The system of claim 33, in which the peak emission shifting of
light emitted from the housing is achieved at least in part by LED
chip displacement.
35. The system of claim 30, in which the at least one LED chip is
mounted on a substrate.
36. The system of claim 35, wherein a center CA of the at least one
LED chip is displaced from a center CS of the surface of the
substrate.
37. The system of claim 30, in which the LED component is mounted
using a chip-on-board configuration.
38. The system of claim 30, wherein at least one of the LED chips
is mounted at a non-zero angle .gamma. with respect to the surface
of the mounting surface, the LED chip thereby comprising a tilt
.tau. with respect to the perpendicular centerline.
39. The system of claim 38, wherein an amount of the non-zero angle
.gamma. lies between approximately 5.degree. and approximately
35.degree., and an amount of the tilt .tau. lies between
approximately 55.degree. and 85.degree..
40. The system of claim 38, wherein an amount of the tilt .tau. is
the same for each of the at least one LED chips comprising the tilt
T.
41. The system of claim 38, wherein an amount of the tilt is
different for at least one of the LED chips comprising the tilt
.tau. from another of the at least one of the LED chips.
42. The system of claim 30, further comprising at least one array
of LED chips under the lens, the array comprising a center Cx
displaced from a center CL of the lens base.
43. The system of claim 30, wherein the optical lens comprises an
asymmetric shape.
44. The system of claim 30, wherein the peak emission comprises a
shift from the perpendicular centerline of between approximately 5
degrees and approximately 30 degrees.
45. The system of claim 30, wherein the peak emission comprises a
shift from the perpendicular centerline of between approximately 10
degrees and approximately 20 degrees.
46. The system of claim 30, in which a lens array is placed over
the LED components.
47. The system of claim 30, in which the board comprises holes for
aligning a secondary optic.
48. The system of claim 30, further comprising a connector on the
board for receiving power.
49. The system of claim 30, in which the at least one LED chip
comprises a disordered array of LED chips.
50. The system of claim 30, in which the at least one LED chip
comprises an array of LED chips.
51. The system of claim 50, in which the array of LED chips
comprises an area which comprises an aspect ratio greater than
1.
52. The system of claim 51, in which the area of the array of LED
chips is substantially rectangular.
53. The system of claim 51, in which the area of the array of LED
chips is irregular.
54. A light emitting diode (LED) component system comprising: a
housing; a mounting board within the housing; a plurality of LED
components on the mounting board, each of the plurality of LED
components comprising: at least one LED chip on the mounting board;
and a primary optical lens overlying the at least one LED chip, the
optical lens comprising a lens base on a side of the lens adjacent
to the at least one LED chip, wherein said at least one LED chip is
displaced in relation to the centerline of said lens base, wherein
the average peak emission of said at least one LED chip is shifted
from a perpendicular centerline of the housing, wherein the at
least one LED chip comprises an array of LED chips which comprises
a primary subsection and at least one additional subsection, the
additional subsection being displaced from the primary subsection
under the lens, wherein a center CA of the array is defined with
respect to the primary subsection and the at least one additional
subsection being positioned together.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is directed generally to light emitting
diodes (LEDs) and more particularly to LED components that can
produce a desired light emission profile and these components
within a system.
Description of the Related Art
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are solid state devices that convert
electric energy to light, and generally comprise one or more active
layers of semiconductor material sandwiched between oppositely
doped layers. When a bias is applied across the doped layers, holes
and electrons are injected into the active layer where they
recombine to generate light. Light is emitted from the active layer
and from all surfaces of the LED.
Technological advances over the last decade or more have resulted
in LEDs having a smaller footprint, increased emitting efficiency,
and reduced cost. LEDs also have an increased operation lifetime
compared to other light emitters. For example, the operational
lifetime of an LED can be over 50,000 hours, while the operational
lifetime of an incandescent bulb is approximately 2,000 hours. LEDs
can also be more robust than other light sources and can consume
less power. For these and other reasons, LEDs are becoming more
popular and are being used in applications that have traditionally
been the realm of incandescent, fluorescent, halogen and other
emitters. Indeed, lighting applications which previously had
typically been served by fixtures using what are known as high
intensity discharge (HID) lamps are now being served by LED
lighting fixtures. Such lighting applications include, among a good
many others, roadway lighting, factory lighting, parking lot
lighting, and commercial building lighting.
In many of such products, achieving high levels of illumination
over large areas with specific light-distribution requirements is
particularly important. One example is fixtures for roadway
lighting, an application in which the fixtures are generally placed
along roadway edges while light distribution is desired along a
significant portion of roadway length and, of course, on the
roadway itself--generally to the exclusion of significant light off
the roadway. And in such situations it is desirable to minimize the
use of large complex reflectors and/or varying orientations of
multiple light sources to achieve desired illumination
patterns.
LEDs are also being used in displays, both big and small. Large
screen LED based displays (often referred to as giant screens) are
becoming more common in many indoor and outdoor locations, such as
at sporting events, race tracks, concerts and in large public
areas, such as Times Square in New York City.
Additionally, LEDs are being used in a variety of lighting
applications. Some lighting applications require uniform ambient
lighting, whereas others require particular beam shapes, emission
profiles, or intensity levels. One example of such a use includes
street lighting, which requires uniform light output of a
particular intensity in a particular beam shape to allow for
illumination of only a particular area.
Present technology utilizes optics and geometries that maximize
light extraction from the LED to obtain uniform emission profiles.
This usually entails a hemispherical lens coupled to a light
emitting element where the optical centers of the lens and the
emitting surface are perfectly aligned, and the peak light emission
is along the optical axis. However, such a configuration may not be
advantageous for all situations, such as when an LED display is
mounted above the viewer's eye level or a directed lighting pattern
is required, for example in street lighting.
Referring now to FIGS. 1A and 1B, exemplary LED downlights 10 are
shown mounted at an elevated point above a street 12, functioning
as a street light. The street 12 area to be lit is typically
positioned below the downlight 10 and is at an angle with respect
to the downlight's emission direction, which is perpendicular to
the downlight surface. When light emission is required at an angle
other than the center, as shown in FIG. 1A, light is wasted because
secondary optics must be used to redirect the light and secondary
optics cause some percentage of loss. FIG. 1A shows unmodified
emission pattern. FIG. 1B shows a modified emission pattern using
secondary optics. The LED downlight street light as shown in FIG.
1A includes a plurality of emitters, such as an LED package, which
may include an LED mounted within the street light housing.
Secondary optics must be placed over these LED packages to modify
the emission pattern from that shown in FIG. 1A to the pattern
shown in FIG. 1B. FIG. 2 shows an exemplary LED package 200, which
may be used in the street lights of FIGS. 1A-1B. The LED package
200 includes an array of LED chips 215 on a substrate 205, with a
lens 200. As shown, the center CA of the array of LED chips 215 is
aligned with the center CL of the lens 220. The peak emission for
the LED package 200 is along the package's longitudinal axis. FIG.
3 is a polar iso-candelar graph 30 for the LED package 200, showing
the peak emission along the emitter's longitudinal axis.
FIG. 1A shows a light fixture 10 comprising a plurality of LED
packages 200 emitting with characteristics that display a peak
emission directed along a perpendicular direction. The intensity
profile (Iv) and far field pattern (FFP) peak emission
characteristics for the downlight 10 are also perpendicular to the
fixture along the perpendicular axis.
One way to reduce the amount of light that is wasted is by mounting
the light emitters at an angle to better match the desired
illumination area or viewer's line of sight, but this can require
complex and expensive mounting configurations or hardware that is
difficult to use. Efforts have also been made to control the light
emission from LED packages by modifying the shape of the
encapsulant or lens, but this may require special, costly lens
tooling and complex lens fabrication processes. Some systems may
utilize secondary optics to alter beam profiles or redirect light
patterns to different angles; however, the secondary optics may
cause significant losses on the order of 10-12% and add cost to the
display system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to LED components with primary
optics providing improved emission characteristics. The present
invention is also directed to light fixtures utilizing the LED
components to provide improved light fixture emissions.
One configuration describes, a light emitting diode (LED) component
system comprising a housing and a plurality of LED components
within the housing, such that light emitted from the housing has a
peak emission shifted from a perpendicular centerline of the
housing. Each of the plurality of LED components comprises at least
one LED chip on a mounting surface and an optical lens overlying
the LED chip and having a lens base attached to the mounting
surface. The LED chips are positioned to provide a peak emission
shifted from a perpendicular centerline of the lens base.
Another configuration includes, a light emitting diode (LED)
component system comprising a housing and a mounting board within
the housing. The system further includes a plurality of LED
components on the mounting board, such that light emitted from the
housing has a peak emission shifted from a perpendicular centerline
of the housing. Each of the plurality of LED components comprises
at least one LED chip on the mounting board and an optical lens
overlying at least one LED chip. The optical lens has a lens base
on a side of the lens adjacent to at least one LED chip.
These and other aspects and advantages of the invention will become
apparent from the following detailed description and the
accompanying drawings, which illustrate by way of example the
features of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A is a top view of a prior art overhead street light and
emission pattern on a street;
FIG. 1B is a top view of another prior art overhead street light
downlight and a modified emission pattern on a street;
FIG. 2 is a top view of a LED Package;
FIG. 3 is polar iso-candelar graph showing the light emission
characteristics of the LED package in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4A is a perspective view of an exemplary LED component
including an array of LED chips on a monolithic substrate with a
single overlying lens;
FIG. 4B is a top view of the LED component of FIG. 4A showing the
offset between the center CA of the array of LED chips and the
center CL of the lens base of the overlying lens;
FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an exemplary
array of LED chips on a monolithic substrate where a plurality of
the LED chips exhibit a tilt .tau. with respect to the
perpendicular centerline;
FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of a portion of another exemplary
array of LED chips on a monolithic substrate where the LED chips
exhibit different tilts .tau.1 and .tau.2;
FIG. 6 is a top view of an exemplary LED component including an LED
array having a subsection displaced to a different region of the
substrate;
FIG. 7 is a top view of an exemplary LED component including two
LED arrays, each array having a center displaced with respect to
the center CL of the lens base;
FIG. 8A is a perspective view of an exemplary LED component
including an array of LED chips on a monolithic substrate where
each LED chip includes an overlying lens;
FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the LED component of FIG.
8A;
FIG. 8C is a top view of the LED component of FIG. 8A;
FIG. 8D is a close-up view of a portion of FIG. 8C showing the
offset d between the center of the LED chip and the center CB of
the lens base;
FIG. 9 is a top view of an exemplary LED component including two
arrays of lenses having centers CLA1, CLA2 that are offset with
respect to the center CS of the submount, where each lens overlies
an LED chip that may be centered or offset with respect to the
center CB of the respective lens base;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an LED component
including an array of LED chips with overlying lenses and a
combination of tilts and displacements;
FIG. 11 is a schematic showing a stamping process that may be
employed to fabricate an angled landing pad for mounting an LED
chip at an angle .gamma. to the surface of the submount;
FIGS. 12A-12C are schematics showing how a stamping process may be
applied directly to a submount to create angled protrusions and
depressions in the frontside and backside surfaces of the
submount;
FIG. 13A is a photograph of an exemplary LED component that
includes 12 LEDs, each with its own hemispherical lens;
FIG. 13B includes a chart showing normalized intensity as a
function of angle from the perpendicular centerline, where the data
is obtained for three embodiments of the LED component of FIG. 13A,
as indicated in FIGS. 13C-13E;
FIGS. 13C-13E show an LED chip at the optical center of a
hemispherical lens (FIG. 13C); an LED chip offset radially inward
(FIG. 13D); and an LED chip offset radially outward (FIG. 13E);
FIG. 14A is a top view of an exemplary LED component including a
2.times.2 array of LED chips; and
FIG. 14B is a chart showing the shift in the intensity profile that
occurs depending on the amount of displacement between the center
of the LED chip array of FIG. 14A and the center of the lens
base;
FIG. 15A is a perspective view of an exemplary LED component
including an array of LED chips and an array of optical lenses on a
monolithic substrate, where the number of LED chips exceeds the
number of lenses and where each of the lenses overlies a plurality
of LED chips;
FIG. 15B is a close-up view of a portion of FIG. 15A showing the
offset d between the center CA of the plurality of LED chips and
the center CB of the lens base;
FIG. 16 a cross-sectional view of a portion of an LED component
including an array of optical lenses where each lens overlies one
or more LED chips, and further where some of the lenses have an
asymmetric shape;
FIGS. 17A-F are cross-sectional views of an LED component showing a
range of progressively larger offsets between the center CA of the
plurality of LED chips and the center CL of the lens base;
FIGS. 18A-F are graphs showing the intensity slice data for each of
the respective offsets in FIGS. 17A-F;
FIGS. 19A-F are graphs showing the maximum tilt intensity slice
data for each of the respective offsets in FIGS. 17A-F;
FIGS. 20A-F are graphs showing the normalized intensity slice data
for each of the respective offsets in FIGS. 17A-F;
FIGS. 21A-F are side views of the LED components of FIGS. 17A-F
demonstrating ray tracing results for each of the respective
offsets in FIGS. 17A-F;
FIG. 22A is a graph with associated table of points demonstrating
the relationship between efficiency and tilt of an LED component in
relation to the offset size;
FIG. 22B is a graph and associated equation for such a graph
demonstrating the relationship between efficiency and offset of the
light emitter;
FIG. 22c is a graph and associated equation for such a graph
demonstrating the relationship between tilt and offset of the light
emitter;
FIG. 23 shows another configuration of an LED component utilizing
an offset to provide a tilted emission;
FIGS. 24A-F are cross-sectional views of the LED component of FIG.
23 showing a range of progressively larger offsets between the
center CA of the plurality of LED chips and the center CL of the
lens base;
FIGS. 25A-F are graphs showing the intensity slice data for each of
the respective offsets in FIGS. 24A-F;
FIGS. 26A-F are graphs showing the maximum tilt intensity slice
data for each of the respective offsets in FIGS. 24A-F;
FIGS. 27A-F are graphs showing the normalized intensity slice data
for each of the respective offsets in FIGS. 24A-F;
FIGS. 28-34 show different configurations of systems which employ
the LED components shown in various other figures;
FIG. 35 is a graph and associated equation for such a graph
demonstrating the relationship between tilt angle and offset over
lens diameter of two light emitters with different widths; and
FIG. 36 is a graph and associated equation for such a graph
demonstrating the relationship between normalized efficiency and
offset over lens diameter of two light emitters with different
widths.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure is directed to LED components, and systems
using such components, having a light emission profile that may be
controlled independently of the lens shape by varying the position
and/or orientation of LED chips with respect to one or both of an
overlying lens and the surface of the component. For example, the
optical centers of the LED emitting surface and the lens, which are
normally aligned, may be offset from each other to generate a
controlled, predictable emission profile.
The LED components include an array of LED chips disposed on a
surface of a substrate or submount, where the LED chips are
positioned to provide the desired light emission profile. In one
configuration, the array of LED chips may be positioned off-center
with respect to an overlying lens in order to shift the peak
emission characteristics away from the perpendicular centerline.
One or more of the LED chips may also or alternatively be mounted
at an angle with respect to the surface of the substrate to alter
the peak emission. Such LED components may be used alone or in
combination with other components to form a light emission system
that has a desirable set of emission characteristics.
Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to LED
components having primary optics and chip placement within the LED
component that make the LED components more compatible with
directed emission light. Embodiments of the present invention
utilize custom placement of LED components within a primary optical
element and, in some configurations, primary optical elements as
part of an LED package component, which shape the angular
distribution of the light emitted by the package into a desired
profile. Specifically, different configurations can allow for the
distribution of emitted light into angles typically not achieved
with standard primary optical elements (which typically produce
Lambertian or cosine-like beam profiles). Many applications, such
as backlighting and downlighting, benefit from the spreading or
directing of the Lambertian LED beam profile into higher angles, or
to one side, to reduce pixilation, or undesirable near-field
intensity and color variations across the emitting surface of the
light. This in turn can result in improved far field
distribution.
Embodiments of the present invention reduce or eliminate the need
for secondary optical elements which can introduce efficiency loss
and additional cost, while reducing overall lifetime and
reliability. In cases where a secondary optical element is
required, careful design of the primary optical element geometry
can provide beneficial effects, such as reducing the cost and/or
complexity of the secondary optic, increasing the overall system
efficiency, and enabling a wider variety of achievable optical beam
profiles than would be otherwise possible using only a standard
primary optic.
Different embodiments of the present invention provide a variety of
geometrical shapes for the primary LED package optical element,
which differ significantly from standard hemispherical lens or flat
lens encapsulation, thus providing custom light beam profile
shaping. This beam shaping can be provided without the need for
secondary optics, but it is understood that the LED packages
according to embodiments of the present invention can also be used
with secondary optics. The geometries of the primary optical
elements are designed to allow for fabrication using conventional
techniques, such as injection molding, compression molding, or
dispense, for example. However, other more complex fabrication
approaches may also be used.
As used in the present disclosure, the "perpendicular centerline"
is generally defined with respect to the base of an overlying lens
that is attached to the substrate of the LED component. The
perpendicular centerline is positioned at the center of the lens
base and extends from the surface of the substrate in a direction
normal to the plane of the surface (the z-direction in the
figures). In some applications in which an LED component is mounted
above eye level, it may be advantageous to shift the peak emission
of the component down with respect to the perpendicular centerline.
Or if the component is mounted overhead, it may be advantageous to
shift the light in one or more directions from the overhead light
to evenly light a desired area. It is understood, however, that
shifts of the peak emission may be in any direction--up, down,
left, right, or directions in between, as discussed in more detail
below.
Embodiments of the present invention can be used in many different
lighting applications that would benefit from primary optic beam
shaping. Applications include the use of embodiments of the present
invention in systems, such as troffers to reduce the number of LED
components (thereby reducing system cost) while avoiding pixilation
(or non-uniform intensity and/or color variations) in the near
field. Other potential applications include street lighting
(downlighting), backlighting or any application in which it is
desirable from an economic, efficiency and reliability standpoint
to provide custom emission characteristics from LED components.
Some embodiments of the present invention are discussed with
reference to direct emission light fixtures and light sources for
use therein. Examples of direct light fixtures that could include
LED components according to embodiments of the present invention,
and where at least some light from the LED components emits
directly from the fixture's emission surface, are shown and
described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/418,796, to
Pickard et al., entitled "Reflector System for Lighting Device,"
which is commonly owned with the present application and
incorporated by reference herein.
It is understood that embodiments of the present invention can also
be directed to indirect light fixtures wherein light from the LED
components can be reflected off one or more surfaces before exiting
through the fixture's emission surface. Examples of indirect light
fixtures that could incorporate LED components according to
embodiments of the present invention are shown and described in
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/418,796, to Pickard et al.,
entitled "Reflector System for Lighting Device," which is commonly
owned with the present application and incorporated by reference
herein. Other examples can comprise troffer-style indirect light
fixtures, as shown and described in U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 12/873,303, to Edmond et al., entitled "Troffer-Style Fixture,"
and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/429,080, to Edmond et al.,
entitled "Modular Indirect Troffer," both of which are commonly
owned with the present application and incorporated by reference
herein. Embodiments of the present invention can also be used with
many different types of lighting fixtures and housings, but are
particularly applicable to troffer-style fixtures of different
sizes, such as those having a 2 ft by 4 ft troffer opening.
Embodiments of the present invention can also be used in
troffer-style fixtures having a 1 ft by 4 ft, or 2 ft by 2 ft
opening, or openings having other dimensions.
It is further understood that LED components according to
embodiments of the present invention can also be used for
backlighting of displays, such as LCD displays, with the LED
components utilized for edge lighting or direct lighting. The LED
components can also be used as the light sources for LED lamps or
LED bulbs, such as those described in U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 13/028,946, to Long Larry Le et al., entitled "Solid State Lamp
and Bulb," which is commonly owned with the present application and
incorporated by reference herein.
The invention is described herein with reference to certain
embodiments and configurations, but it is understood that the
invention can be embodied in many different forms and should not be
construed as limited to the embodiments or configurations set forth
herein. In particular, embodiments of the present invention is
described below in regards to downlight style light fixtures, but
it is understood that it is applicable to many other lighting
styles, types and applications. The embodiments are also described
with reference to primary optics and LED chips, but it is
understood that many different types and numbers of optics can be
used that are arranged in many different ways. The fixtures can
have LEDs or LED packages arranged in many different arrays having
different shapes and different numbers of LEDs or LED packages.
Many different commercially available LEDs can be used in the
lighting fixtures according to embodiments of the present
invention, such as those commercially available from Cree, Inc.
It is understood that when an element is referred to as being "on"
another element, it can be directly on the other element or
intervening elements may also be present. Furthermore, relative
terms, such as "inner", "outer", "upper", "above", "lower",
"beneath", and "below", and similar terms, may be used herein to
describe a relationship of one element to another. It is understood
that these terms are intended to encompass different orientations
of the device, in addition to the orientation depicted in the
figures.
Although the terms primary, secondary, etc., may be used herein to
describe various features, elements, components, regions and/or
sections, these elements, components, regions, and/or sections
should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to
distinguish one element, component, region, or section from
another. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, a primary
feature, element, component, region, or section discussed below
could be termed a secondary feature, element, component, region, or
section without departing from the teachings of the present
invention.
As used herein, the term light source or LED component can be used
to indicate a single light emitter or more than one light emitter
functioning as a single source. Thus, the term "source" or "LED
component" should not be construed as a limitation indicating
either a single-element or a multi-element configuration unless
clearly stated otherwise. For example, the LED components or
lighting fixtures described herein can comprise light sources
having a single-element or multi-element configuration.
Embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to
view illustrations. The actual thickness, angles or orientations of
the elements can be different, and variations from the shapes of
the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing
techniques and/or tolerances are expected. Thus, the elements
illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes
are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region or
feature of an embodiment and are not intended to limit the scope of
the invention.
Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the LED component 400 includes a
monolithic submount or substrate 405 having a surface 405a on which
an array 410 of LED emitters or LED chips 415 is mounted. In this
example, the array 410 is an ordered 5.times.5 array; other array
sizes as well as disordered or aperiodic arrays are also possible.
A center CA of the array 410 of LED chips 415 may be defined by the
point of intersection of two lines that bisect the array 410 in the
x-direction and the y-direction, respectively, as indicated in FIG.
4B.
The LED component 400 further includes an optical lens 420 that is
attached to the surface 405a of the substrate 405 and overlies at
least one of the LED chips 415 in the array 410. In this example,
the lens 420 overlies all of the LED chips 415 in the array 410.
(Alternatively, a plurality of lenses may be attached to the
submount and may overlie individual LED chips, as discussed further
below.) The lens 420 is designed to shape the emitted light beam as
well as to provide environmental and/or mechanical protection for
the LED chip(s). The lens 420 may have a hemispherical shape, as
shown in FIG. 4A, or another symmetric or asymmetric shape, as
shown for example in FIG. 16. Asymmetric lenses and the use of a
plurality of lenses are shown and described in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/441,540, entitled "Multi-Lens LED-Array
Optic System", to Wilcox et al., and U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 13/441,558, entitled "LED-Array Light Source With Aspect Ratio
Greater Than 1", to Wilcox et al., which are commonly owned with
the present application and incorporated by reference herein.
The lens 420 has a lens base 420a that is attached (e.g.,
overmolded) to the submount 405. In this example, the lens 410 is
directly attached to the submount 405; however, it is also possible
for the lens to be indirectly attached to the submount by way of a
connection to another object that is in turn attached to the
submount. For example, the lens may be attached to a retaining ring
that is in turn attached to the submount. A lens that is said to be
"attached" to the submount or substrate may thus be directly or
indirectly attached thereto. In other configurations, where a
chip-on-board configuration is used, such that the LED chip is
directly placed on a board (rather than also on a submount), the
lens 420 is attached to this board. (See FIGS. 29 and 31).
A center CL of the lens base 420a may be defined by the point of
intersection of two lines that bisect the lens base 420a in the
x-direction and the y-direction, respectively, as indicated in FIG.
4B. The x- and y-directions lie in the plane of the substrate.
Throughout the present patent document, where a "center" is
designated for a given array or other object, the center is
understood to be the point of intersection of two lines that bisect
the array or other object in the x- and y-directions. Similarly, a
center CS of the submount 405 may be defined by the point of
intersection of two lines that bisect the surface 405a of the
submount 405 in the x-direction and the y-direction, respectively.
In FIG. 4B, the center CL of the lens base overlies the center CS
of the submount. In this case, the center CS of the surface of the
submount 405 corresponds to the physical center of the surface 405a
of the submount 405. In another implementation, where the submount
405 may include additional (non-light emitting) components such as
mounting pads along one side, the center CS may be defined to
coincide with the center of the portion of the submount surface
that does not include the additional components.
Traditionally, the lens is positioned on the submount, such that
the center CL of the lens base is aligned with the center CA of the
array. However, in order to provide a desired emission profile or
peak emission shift, the center CA of the array 410 of LED chips
415 is displaced from the center CL of the lens base 420a, as shown
in FIG. 4B. The offset or displacement D may be in the
.+-.x-direction, the .+-.y-direction, or in a direction lying
between the .+-.x-direction and the .+-.y-direction. The offset may
be achieved during fabrication by positioning the array 410 of LED
chips 415 on the surface 405a of the submount 405 such that the
center CA of the array 410 is displaced from the center CS of the
submount 405, and then centering the lens 420 on the submount, as
shown in FIG. 4A-4B, or by centering the array of LED chips on the
submount and then mounting the lens such that the center CL of the
lens base is offset with respect to the center CA of the array (and
the surface of the submount). The amount of the displacement D may
depend on the size of the LED chips 415, the LED array 410, and/or
the lens 420 as well as the desired shift in the peak emission, but
typically lies between about 0.1 mm and 6.0 mm. The displacement D
may also lie between about 0.1 mm and about 3.0 mm or between about
0.1 mm and about 1.0 mm.
FIGS. 17A-F are cross-sectional views of an LED component showing a
range of progressively larger offsets between the center CA of the
plurality or array of LED chips and the center CL of the lens base.
FIG. 17A is a cross-sectional view of an LED component 1700 similar
to the component shown in FIG. 2, such that it includes a lens 1720
and an array of LED chips 1715 arranged in a square at the center
of the submount 1705 and lens base CL. The LED component 1700 of
FIG. 17A also shows an exemplary converter layer 1730; however, it
should be understood that a converter layer is not required and/or
may be placed elsewhere. Though a hemispherical lens is shown here,
it is understood that any type or shape of lens, including
asymmetrical lenses may be used here. Furthermore, though an array
of 4 LED chips 1715 is shown here, it is understood that arrays of
any number of LED chips, including arrays forming different shapes,
or even a singular LED chip may be used.
FIGS. 17B-F show the LED component 1700 with varying arrangements
such that the LED chip 1715 array is shifted progressively further
from the center CL of the lens base. This is shown by the increased
distance between the center CA of the LED chip 1715 array and the
center CL of the lens 1720 base. In one particular example, the
lens 1720 has a radius of 2.26 mm and each of the LED chips 1715
has a width of 1000 microns, with a space of 75 microns between
each LED chip 1715. In this example, each of FIGS. 17A-F would show
an additional offset of 150 microns. In such an example, the
arrangements of each of the FIGS. 17A-F would result in a maximum
emissions tilt angle of 0 degrees, 4 degrees, 7 degrees, 10
degrees, 11 degrees, and 14 degrees. These tilt angle emissions are
shown in FIGS. 18A-22C. Though this example has been discussed in
relation to an LED component and LED chips of certain dimensions,
it should be understood that the results would be the same for any
components and chips with proportional values. Furthermore, as
shown in FIG. 22A, offsetting the LED chip array begins to impact
emission efficiency after the offset places the LED chip array in a
position, which causes a detrimental amount of TIR. Even when the
proportional relationship between the LED chip or chip array size
and lens size values may change, it can be expected that the same
impact on efficiency is displayed due to the detrimental amount of
TIR as the LED chip or chip arrays begin to approach the sides of
the lens. This is demonstrated in the chart and equations shown in
FIG. 36. The chart displays the relation of normalized efficiency
vs. offset of the chip over lens diameter for two exemplary LED
chip sizes. The first size, denoted by circular marks, are LEDs
with a width of 1000 microns. The second set of data points,
denoted by square marks, represent LEDs with a width of 850
microns. As shown in FIG. 35, though tilt angle increases in these
packages with these LED chips or chip arrays, as the offset over
lens diameter increases, the efficiency decreases as shown in FIG.
36. The showings of FIGS. 35 and 36 can be expected to be similar
for packages with arrays of similar chips.
Each of the graphs in FIGS. 18A-20F and 22A-C show data
demonstrating the emission tilt effects of the offset described
above. Data shown in these and other various graphs regarding light
intensity, efficiency and tilt vs. offset were produced by using
LightTools ray tracing simulations. FIGS. 18A-F show graphs of the
intensity slice data for each of the exemplary respective offset
arrangements in FIGS. 17A-F. FIGS. 19A-F are graphs highlighting
the maximum tilt intensity slice data, from FIGS. 18A-F, for each
of the exemplary respective offset arrangements in FIGS. 17A-F.
FIGS. 20A-F are graphs showing the normalized intensity slice data
for each of the exemplary respective offset arrangements in FIGS.
17A-F. FIGS. 21A-F are side views of the LED components of FIGS.
17A-F demonstrating the impact of the LED chip array offset by ray
tracing emissions from each of the exemplary respective offset
arrangements in FIGS. 17A-F.
FIG. 22A is a graph demonstrating the relationship between
efficiency and emission tilt of an LED component in relation to the
offset size. FIGS. 22B and 22C show each of these separately and
the associated equations describing the graph. As demonstrated,
though tilt increases, the further the LED chip array is offset
from the center CL of the lens base, the efficiency of the LED
component also begins to decline after an amount of offset. This
must be taken into consideration when using an offset to create
emission tilt, as most lighting applications will want to maintain
a certain amount of efficiency, such as greater than 90%, 95%, or
any other chosen value. This limits the amount of tilt, which may
be achieved by offsetting the array. However, as lens sizes and
array sizes change, changing the proportional relationship between
the two, the acceptable offset amount is also impacted.
For example, in some configurations, smaller LEDs or LED arrays may
be shifted the same distance as larger ones, however, because the
center of the smaller array is further from the center of the lens
base, compared to the center of a larger sized array or chip, a
higher degree of shift is accomplished. Therefore, it may be
advantageous to use smaller sized LED arrays with equivalent
outputs to achieve a higher shift or tilt. Though it may seem
advantageous to maintain the LED chip or LED chip array size and
instead use larger lenses, this may result in drawbacks, such as
increased cost and larger overall package size limiting
applicability.
In addition, emission tilt may also be achieved in directions other
than the emission tilt caused by shifting of the LEDs, by employing
LED arrays of different shapes. The impact of the shape of the LED
array would function similarly to shifting of the LED as it would
change the location of the origination of the light from the center
of the lens to adjacent areas. Various examples of arrays of LEDs
are shown and described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
13/441,540 filed on Apr. 6, 2012, entitled "Multi-Lens LED-Array
Optic System" and application Ser. No. 13/441,558 filed on Apr. 6,
2012, entitled "LED-Array Light Source With Aspect Ratio Greater
Than 1", which are incorporated herein by reference. Also shown in
FIGS. 32 and 34.
As discussed previously, in a configuration in which a smaller
sized LED array is used with an equivalent sized lens, a higher
shift or tilt in emission may be achieved. FIG. 23 shows another
configuration of an LED component utilizing an offset to provide a
tilted emission. The LED component 2300 of FIG. 23 is similar to
that shown in FIGS. 17A-F, however, the LED chips 2315 and LED
array have a smaller footprint, such that the proportions between
the LED chip array and lens 2320 size are different than those of
the LED component of FIGS. 17A-F. FIGS. 24A-F are cross-sectional
views of the LED component 2400 of FIG. 23 showing a range of
progressively larger offsets between the center CA of the plurality
or array of LED chips and the center CL of the lens base, on
submount 2305, 2405. The configuration shown in each of FIGS. 24A-F
shows an additional stepped equal offset, for example 100 microns,
150 microns, or any other equally increased per step offset. FIGS.
25A-27F demonstrate the effect of offsetting a smaller chip array
within a similarly sized lens 2420.
FIGS. 25A-F show graphs depicting the intensity slice data for each
of the respective offsets in FIGS. 24A-F. The graphs of FIGS. 26A-F
show the maximum tilt intensity slice data from FIGS. 25A-F for
each of the respective offsets in FIGS. 24A-F. As shown, the
maximum shift for each of the offsets shown in FIGS. 24A-F,
beginning at no offset shown in FIG. 24A, are 0 degrees, 3.5
degrees, 9 degrees, 11 degrees, 17 degrees, and 20 degrees
respectively. Therefore, the configuration of FIG. 24F, which is at
the same offset distance as FIG. 17F, has a maximum tilt larger
than that of the configuration of FIG. 17F. FIGS. 27A-F are graphs
showing the normalized intensity slice data for each of the
respective offsets in FIGS. 24A-F. As it can be seen, by these
exemplary configurations, a smaller source size to lens diameter
ration should increase the maximum achievable beam tilt. In
addition, it should be noted that tilting or shifting can be
achieved by offsetting without significantly increasing output at
high angles. This is significant, as some applications may use
secondary optics over these LED components and in many cases
secondary optics cannot efficiently shape light emitted at high
angles.
The emission profile may also be shifted off the centerline by
tilting one or more of the LED chips on the submount. Referring to
FIGS. 5A and 5B, one or more of the LED chips 515 in the array 510
may be mounted at an angle .gamma. with respect to the surface 505a
of the submount 505. FIG. 5A shows a cross-sectional side view of a
portion of an exemplary submount 505 including LED chips 515 on its
surface 505a. The LED chips 515 are part of an array 510 that is
not shown in its entirety in this figure. The array 510 of LED
chips 515 may include a single overlying lens, as shown in FIG. 4A,
or a plurality of lenses, as shown in FIG. 10 and as discussed
further below. The description that follows applies to both of
these embodiments.
As shown in FIG. 5A, a plurality of the LED chips 515 in the array
510 may be mounted at a non-zero mounting angle .gamma. with
respect to the surface 505a of the submount 505, thereby exhibiting
a tilt .tau. with respect to the centerline of the respective lens
base. (The tilt and mounting angle are related as follows:
.tau.=90.degree.-.gamma., where .gamma. is greater than 0.degree.
and thus .tau. is less than 90.degree..) It is assumed that the
surface 505a is substantially planar, with the exception of any
recessed or protruding features that may be formed on the surface
505a to mount the LED chips 515 at the desired mounting angle
.gamma..
All or a portion of the LED chips in the array may exhibit the tilt
.tau. with respect to the centerline. For example, from about 25%
to about 75% of the LED chips in the array may be mounted at a
non-zero mounting angle .gamma. with respect to the surface,
thereby including the tilt .tau.. The amount of the non-zero
mounting angle .gamma. may lie between about 5.degree. and
35.degree., or between about 18.degree. and 22.degree..
Accordingly, the tilt .tau. may lie between about 55.degree. and
about 85.degree., or between about 68.degree. and about
72.degree..
As indicated in FIG. 5A, the amount of the tilt .tau. may be the
same for each LED chip 515, or, as shown schematically in FIG. 5B,
the amount may be different for one or more of the LED chips 515 in
the array 510. For example, a first portion of the LED chips 515
may exhibit a first tilt .tau.1 and a second portion of the LED
chips 515 may exhibit a second tilt .tau.2, where the two different
tilts .tau.1 and .tau.2 correspond to two different mounting angles
.gamma.1 and .gamma.2, respectively, on the surface 505a of the
submount 505. For any given array, there may be as many as n
different tilts .tau.1, .tau.2, . . . .tau.n and n different
corresponding mounting angles .gamma.1, .gamma.2 . . . .gamma.n,
where n is less than or equal to the number of LED chips in the
array. It is also possible that none of the LED chips in the array
includes a tilt .tau.; instead, displacements of the LED chips in
the plane of the substrate may be relied upon to influence the
emission profile.
In another example of a possible displacement strategy, one or more
of the LED chips in a given array may be displaced from the array
to another location on the substrate. Referring to FIG. 6, the
original array 610 may include a primary subsection 610a and a
secondary subsection 610b, and the secondary subsection 610b of the
array 610 may be displaced to another location on the submount 605.
Such arrangements may have one or more effects on the emission
profile of the LED component 600; for example, the peak emission of
the LED array may be shifted and/or the intensity distribution of
the LED array may be broadened compared to the original array. It
may also be possible to obtain a multi-lobed emission profile.
Referring again to FIG. 6, the original array 610 from which the
subsection 610b is removed has a center CA that is offset with
respect to the center CL of the lens base 620a of the overlying
lens 620. It is also possible for the original array to be centered
with respect to the lens base.
In another example, the emission profile of the LED component 700
may be modified by including more than one array of LED chips on
the submount (in different locations), where each array has a
center that is offset with respect to the center of the lens base.
FIG. 7 shows, for example, disposed on the surface 705a of a
monolithic substrate 705, a 6.times.2 array 740 of LED chips 715
having a center C1 and a 3.times.3 array 750 of LED chips 715
having a center C2, where both the center C1 and the center C2
include an offset D1, D2, respectively, from the center CL of the
lens base 720a. In this example, the offsets D1, D2 differ in both
magnitude and direction. Alternatively, the offsets may differ in
magnitude but not in direction, or they may differ in direction but
not in magnitude.
The LED chips in the array may exhibit a combination of the tilts
and displacements described above. For example, one or more of the
LED chips shown in any of FIGS. 4A, 4B, 6 and 7 may include a tilt
.tau., where the tilt .tau. is as described above. It is also
possible for all of the LED chips shown in any of these figures to
include the tilt .tau. as described above. Similarly, the portions
of the LED arrays 510 shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, where the LED chips
include a tilt .tau., may further include displacements in the
plane of the submount that are not apparent in FIGS. 5A and 5B.
As mentioned above, the LED component may include a plurality of
optical lenses where each of the lenses overlies one or more of the
LED chips in the array. There may be a total of n lenses, where n
is equal to the number of LED chips in the array. Alternatively,
and as discussed further below, the number of lenses n may be less
than the number of LED chips in the array.
Referring to FIG. 8A, an array 825 of lenses 820 may be defined on
the surface 805a of the monolithic submount 805, where each lens
820 has a lens base 820a and overlies, in this embodiment, a single
LED chip 815. The array 825 of lenses 820 has a center CLA, and
each lens base 820a has a center CB. In this example, the array 825
is a 3.times.3 array, but other array sizes are possible, as
discussed further below. FIG. 8A shows lenses 820 that are
hemispherical in shape; however, one or more of the lenses in the
array may have another symmetric or asymmetric shape, as shown in
FIG. 16, which is a side view of a submount 1605 supporting three
lenses 1620 that each overlie one or more LED chips 1615.
In a traditional configuration, the LED chip 815 underlying each
lens 820 is centered with respect to the respective lens base 820a.
In order to provide a desired emission profile from the LED
component 800, however, one or more of the LED chips 815 underlying
one or more of the lenses 820 may include an offset d from the
center CB of the respective lens base 820. The offset or
displacement d is measured from the center of the LED chip 815 and
may be in the .+-.x-direction, the .+-.y-direction, or in a
direction lying between the .+-.x-direction and the
.+-.y-direction. The amount of the displacement d may depend on the
size of the lens 820 and the LED chip 815, but typically lies
between about 0.1 mm and 1.2 mm. As a consequence of the
displacement d, the peak emission of the LED chip 815 may be
shifted from the perpendicular centerline of the respective lens
base 820a. The overall effect of the displacement d of one or more
of the LED chips 815, as shown for example in FIG. 8C, on the
intensity profile of the LED component 800 may be a shifting and/or
broadening of the emission profile. This is further discussed in
Example 1.
Referring to FIG. 8C, the array 825 of lenses 820 may thus include
a first portion of LED chips 815, each having an offset d from the
center of the respective lens base 820a, and a second portion of
LED chips 815, each of which is centered with respect to the
respective lens base 820a. In this example, the second portion
includes only one LED chip 815; the LED chip 815 disposed in the
center of the array 810 of LED chips 815 does not include an
offset. In an alternative embodiment, all of the LED chips 815 in
the array 810 may include an offset d from the center CB of the
respective lens base 820a. The offset d for each LED chip may be
the same, or different LED chips 815 may have offsets d that differ
in magnitude and/or direction, as indicated schematically in FIGS.
8A-8D. Due to the displacements d of individual LED chips, the
center CA of the array of LED chips may be displaced from the
center CLA of the array of lenses.
It is also contemplated that one or more of the lenses and the
underlying LED chip(s) may be displaced from the original array of
lenses, as described above and shown schematically in FIG. 6 for
the single lens embodiment. The LED chip underlying each lens may
remain centered with respect to the lens base or may include an
offset with respect to the lens base, as discussed above.
Furthermore, there may be more than one array of lenses overlying
LED chips on the submount, where each array has a center that is
displaced from the center of the submount. An exemplary LED
component 900 including two arrays 940, 950 of lenses 920 overlying
LED chips 915 is shown in FIG. 9; as can be seen, the center CLA1,
CLA2 of each array 940, 950 includes an offset D1, D2 from the
center CS of the surface 905a of the submount 905, and the offsets
D1, D2 differ in both magnitude and direction. Alternatively, the
offsets may differ in magnitude but not in direction, or they may
differ in direction but not in magnitude. The LED chip 915
underlying each lens 920 may remain centered with respect to the
lens base 920a, as is the case with the 3.times.1 array 950 shown
in FIG. 9, or may include an offset d with respect to the center CB
of the lens base, as is the case with the 2.times.2 array 940 shown
in FIG. 9.
FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional side view of a portion of an
exemplary submount 1005 including LED chips 1015 on its surface
1005a. Each LED chip 1015 includes an overlying lens 1020. The
lenses 1020 are part of an array 1025 of lenses 1020 that is not
shown in its entirety in this figure. At least one of the LED chips
1015 is mounted at a non-zero mounting angle .gamma. with respect
to the surface 1005a of the submount 1005, thereby exhibiting a
tilt .tau. with respect to the centerline of the lens base 1020a of
the overlying lens 1020. FIG. 10 shows two LED chips 1015 that
include the tilt .tau., and one that does not. It is assumed that
the surface 1005a is substantially planar, with the exception of
any recessed or protruding features that may be formed on the
surface 1005a to mount the LED chips 1015 at the desired mounting
angle .gamma..
In general, as in the single lens embodiment, all or a portion of
the LED chips in the array may exhibit the tilt .tau. with respect
to the centerline of the lens base. For example, from about 25% to
about 75% of the LED chips in the array may be mounted at a
non-zero mounting angle .gamma. with respect to the surface,
thereby including the tilt .tau.. The amount of the non-zero
mounting angle .gamma. may lie between about 5.degree. and
35.degree., or between about 18.degree. and 22.degree..
Accordingly, the tilt .tau. may lie between about 55.degree. and
about 85.degree., or between about 68.degree. and about
72.degree..
As discussed above, the amount of the tilt .tau. may be the same
for each LED chip, or the amount may be different for one or more
of the LED chips in the array. For example, a first portion of the
LED chips may exhibit a first tilt .tau.1 and a second portion of
the LED chips may exhibit a second tilt .tau.2, where the two
different tilts .tau.1 and .tau.2 correspond to two different
mounting angles .gamma.1 and .gamma.2, respectively, on the surface
of the submount. For any given array, there may be as many as n
different tilts .tau.1, .tau.2, . . . .tau.n and n different
corresponding mounting angles .gamma.1, .gamma.2 . . . .gamma.n,
where n is less than or equal to the number of LED chips in the
array.
Furthermore, the LED chips in the multiple lens array may exhibit a
combination of the tilts and displacements described above. For
example, in FIG. 10 the outermost LED chips 1015 include the tilt
.tau. and the innermost LED chip 1015 includes a displacement d
with respect to the center CB of the lens base 1020a. Any or all of
the LED chips shown in FIGS. 8A-8D and FIG. 9 may be mounted at an
angle .gamma. with respect to the surface of the submount, so as to
exhibit a tilt .tau. as described above. Similarly, the portion of
the multiple lens array 1025 shown in FIG. 10, where two of the LED
chips 1015 include a tilt .tau., may further include displacements
in the plane of the submount that are not apparent in FIG. 10.
In an implementation in which the number n of lenses 1520 in the
array 1525 is less than the number of LED chips 1515, at least one
of the lenses 1520 in the multiple lens array 1525 may overlie a
plurality 1580 of LED chips 1515, as shown for example in FIG. 15A.
Similar to the preceding embodiments, a center CA of the plurality
1580 of LED chips 1515 may be displaced from a center CB of the
respective lens base by a displacement amount d, as shown in FIG.
15B. It is also contemplated that at least one of the LED chips
1515 in the plurality 1580 may be mounted at a non-zero angle
.gamma. with respect to the surface 1505a of the substrate 1505,
thereby comprising a tilt .tau. with respect to the perpendicular
centerline of the respective lens base 1520a. Also, at least one of
the optical lenses may have an asymmetric shape. It is also
possible that at least one of the LED chips in the array may not
underlie a lens when the number n of lenses is less than the number
of LED chips.
The arrays of LED chips described herein may include any number of
LED chips in order to provide the desired light output from the LED
component. For example, the array may include at least two LED
chips, at least four LED chips, at least eight LED chips, at least
LED chips, or at least 20 LED chips. Much larger arrays are also
possible. For example, the LED component may have an array of at
least about 50, or at least about 100, LED chips arranged on its
surface. The arrays may be symmetric or asymmetric. Exemplary LED
chip arrays on monolithic substrates (chip on board (CoB)
structures) are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,821,023
to Yuan et al., issued on Oct. 26, 2010, and U.S. Patent
Application Publication No. 2009/0108281 to Keller et al.,
published on Apr. 30, 2009, which are hereby incorporated by
reference in their entirety.
Fabrication of conventional LEDs is generally known, and is only
briefly described here. LEDs can be fabricated using known
processes, with a suitable process being metal organic chemical
vapor deposition (MOCVD). The layers of the LEDs generally comprise
an active layer/region sandwiched between first and second
oppositely doped epitaxial layers, all of which are formed
successively on a growth substrate. LEDs can be formed on a wafer
and then singulated for mounting in a package. It is understood
that the growth substrate can remain as part of the final
singulated LED or the growth substrate can be fully or partially
removed.
Additional layers and elements may also be included in the LEDs,
including but not limited to buffer, nucleation, contact and
current spreading layers, as well as light extraction layers and
elements. The active region can comprise single quantum well (SQW),
multiple quantum well (MQW), double heterostructure or superlattice
structures. The active region and doped layers may be fabricated
from different material systems, with preferred material systems
being Group-III nitride based material systems. Group-III nitrides
refer to those semiconductor compounds formed between nitrogen and
the elements in the Group III of the periodic table, usually
aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), and indium (In). The term also refers
to ternary and quaternary compounds such as aluminum gallium
nitride (AlGaN) and aluminum indium gallium nitride (AlInGaN). In a
preferred embodiment, the doped layers are gallium nitride (GaN)
and the active region is InGaN. In alternative embodiments the
doped layers may be AlGaN, aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs) or
aluminum gallium indium arsenide phosphide (AlGaInAsP).
The growth substrate can be made of many materials such as
sapphire, silicon carbide, aluminum nitride (AlN), gallium nitride
(GaN), with a suitable substrate being a 4H polytype of silicon
carbide, although other silicon carbide polytypes can also be used
including 3C, 6H and 15R polytypes. Silicon carbide has certain
advantages, such as a closer crystal lattice match to Group III
nitrides than sapphire and results in Group III nitride films of
higher quality. Silicon carbide also has a very high thermal
conductivity so that the total output power of Group-III nitride
devices on silicon carbide is not limited by the thermal
dissipation of the substrate (as may be the case with some devices
formed on sapphire). SiC substrates are available from Cree
Research, Inc., of Durham, N.C. and methods for producing them are
set forth in the scientific literature as well as in U.S. Pat. Nos.
Re. 34,861; 4,946,547; and 5,200,022.
LEDs can also comprise a conductive current spreading structure and
wire bond pads on the top surface, both of which are made of a
conductive material that can be deposited using known methods. Some
materials that can be used for these elements include Au, Cu, Ni,
In, Al, Ag or combinations thereof, as well as conducting oxides
and transparent conducting oxides. The current spreading structure
can comprise conductive fingers arranged in a grid on the LEDs with
the fingers spaced to enhance current spreading from the pads into
the top surface of the LEDs. In operation, an electrical signal is
applied to the pads through a wire bond, and the electrical signal
spreads through the fingers of the current spreading structure and
the top surface into the LEDs. Current spreading structures are
often used in LEDs where the top surface is p-type, but can also be
used for n-type materials.
Some or all of the LEDs described herein can be coated with one or
more phosphors with the phosphors absorbing at least some of the
LED light, and emitting a different wavelength of light such that
the LED emits a combination of light from the LED and the phosphor.
In one embodiment according to the present invention the white
emitting LEDs have an LED that emits light in the blue wavelength
spectrum and the phosphor absorbs some of the blue light and
re-emits yellow. The LEDs emit a white light combination of blue
and yellow light. In other embodiments, the LED chips emit a
non-white light combination of blue and yellow light as described
in U.S. Pat. No. 7,213,940. In some embodiments the phosphor
comprises commercially available YAG:Ce, although a full range of
broad yellow spectral emission is possible using conversion
particles made of phosphors based on the (Gd,Y)3(Al, Ga)5O12:Ce
system, such as the Y3Al5O12:Ce (YAG). Other yellow phosphors that
can be used for white emitting LED chips include:
Tb3-xRExO12:Ce(TAG); RE=Y, Gd, La, Lu; or Sr2-x-yBaxCaySiO4:
Eu.
LEDs that emit red light can comprise LED structures and materials
that permit emission of red light directly from the active region.
Alternatively, the red emitting LEDs can comprise LEDs covered by a
phosphor that absorbs the LED light and emits a red light. Some
phosphors appropriate for these structures may include: Lu2O3:Eu3+;
(Sr2-xLax) (Cel-xEux)04; Sr2-xEuxCeO4; SrTiO3: Pr3+, Ga3+;
CaAlSiN3: Eu2+; and Sr2Si5N8: Eu2+.
LEDs may be coated with a phosphor using many different methods,
with one suitable method being described U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 11/656,759 (U.S. Patent Application Publication
2008/0173884) and Ser. No. 11/899,790 (U.S. Patent Application
Publication 2008/0179611), both entitled "Wafer Level Phosphor
Coating Method and Devices Fabricated Utilizing Method," and both
of which are incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively, the
LEDs can be coated using other methods, such as electrophoretic
deposition (EPD), with a suitable EPD method described in U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 11/473,089 (U.S. Patent Application
Publication 2007/0158668) entitled "System for and Method for
Closed Loop Electrophoretic Deposition of Phosphor Materials on
Semiconductor Devices," which is also incorporated herein by
reference. It is understood that LED components according to the
present disclosure can also have multiple LEDs of different colors,
one or more of which may be white emitting.
The submounts may be formed of many different materials with a
preferred material being an electrically insulating material, such
as a dielectric element, with the submount being between the LED
array and the component backside. The submount may include a
ceramic, such as alumina, aluminum nitride, silicon carbide, or a
polymeric material, such as polymide and polyester, etc. In one
embodiment, the dielectric material has a high thermal
conductivity, such as with aluminum nitride and silicon carbide. In
other embodiments, the submounts can include highly reflective
material, such as reflective ceramic or metal layers like silver,
to enhance light extraction from the component. In other
embodiments, the submount can comprise a printed circuit board
(PCB), alumina, sapphire or silicon or any other suitable material,
such as T-Clad thermal clad insulated substrate material, available
from The Bergquist Company of Chanhassen, Minn. For PCB
embodiments, different PCB types can be used, such as standard FR-4
PCB, metal core PCB, or any other type of printed circuit
board.
Any light emitters or LEDs may be used in the embodiments described
herein, including those comprised of components and features, such
as those described above. Some embodiments may use any commercially
available LED. In one configuration, a flip chip package may be
used. In other configurations, the flip chip package may include a
broader far-field pattern than conventional LEDs. In yet other
configurations, these chips may include shaping, such as a shaped
substrate. In some configurations of these chips, the chip may
further include light extraction features on the emission surface,
such as an X-cut or etching. An exemplary chip with these features
includes LED chips, such as the model DA 1000 chip manufactured by
Cree, Inc. This chip or one similar may be suited for this
application, as it has a broader far-field pattern than
conventional LEDs. Furthermore, the light emission surface includes
light extraction features, such as cut portions, for example, an
X-shaped cut such as the one shown on the LED chips of the
components in FIG. 29. It should be understood that any other chip
may also be used in the configurations shown in FIG. 29. Chips such
as the DA 1000 chip are available from Cree, Inc., of Durham, N.C.
and related devices and methods for producing them are set forth in
U.S. Pat. No. 8,368,100 to Donofrio, et al., entitled
"SEMICONDUCTOR LIGHT EMITTING DIODES HAVING REFLECTIVE STRUCTURES
AND METHODS OF FABRICATING THE SAME," which is commonly owned and
incorporated herein by reference.
The submount may be modified to include one or more protruding or
recessed regions that allow for a nonzero mounting angle .gamma. of
one or more of the LED chips. For example, material may be added to
a substantially planar submount to create the desired surface
profile for the LED component. Referring to FIG. 11, a thick chip
landing pad 1160 may be deposited on the surface 1105a of the
submount 1105, and the landing pad 1160 may be stamped or otherwise
deformed to create an angled landing pad surface 1160a that allows
an LED chip to be mounted at the desired mounting angle .gamma. on
the submount 1105.
In another approach, stamping may be applied directly to a submount
to create a desired surface profile. For example, one or more
recessed features may be stamped into the backside of a substrate
in order to create a desired profile of protruding feature(s) on
the frontside of the substrate. FIG. 12A shows a cross-sectional
schematic of an exemplary monolithic substrate 1205 including two
LED chips 1215 disposed on the surface 1205a. Prior to stamping,
the LED chips 1215 are mounted flat on the surface and do not
include a mounting angle .gamma.. FIG. 12B shows the creation of
two protrusions 1270 underlying the two LED chips 1215 in the
frontside 1205a of the substrate 1205 by stamping local regions of
the backside 1205b of the substrate 1205. After stamping, the
protruding regions 1270 extend from the front surface 1205a of the
substrate 1205 at the desired mounting angle .gamma.. LED chips
1215 positioned on the protruding regions 1270 thus have a
predetermined tilt .tau. with respect to the centerline of the
submount 1205. The LED chips 1215 may be placed on the substrate
1205 and connected electrically either before or after the
protruding regions 1270 are created. Also, individual lenses
overlying each LED chip 1215, or a single larger lens overlying all
of the LED chips 1215 on the substrate 1205, may be molded onto the
submount 1005 after forming the one or more protruding regions
1270.
The specific geometry of the mounting region depends on the desired
tilt for the LED chip, as well as the size of the chip. Referring
to FIG. 12C, the exemplary LED chip 1215 shown is mounted on a
mounting region 1270 of 2 mm in length l at a mounting angle
.gamma. of 12.degree., and thus the mounting region protrudes from
the surface 1205a, a distance (or height) h=2
mmtan(12.degree.)=0.425 mm. Generally speaking, the length l of the
mounting region may range from about 1.0 mm to about 6.0 mm, and
the height h of the mounting region may lie between about 0.2 mm
and about 2.2 mm. The width w of the mounting region may be between
about 1.0 mm and about 6.0 mm, typically. The mounting angle
.gamma., as described above, typically ranges from about 5 degrees
to about 35 degrees.
Different shifts or tilts in the peak emission of the LED component
may be desired, depending on the size and intended use of the
display. An appropriate range for the shift in the peak emission
may be between about 5 degrees and about 30 degrees for many
possible applications, and the shift may also lie between about 10
degrees and about 20 degrees. Alternatively, other ranges of shift
angles can be used.
EXAMPLE 1
The change in the intensity distribution that results from
purposely moving LED chips off-center with respect to an overlying
lens is explored in this example. FIG. 13A is a photograph of an
exemplary LED component including 12 LED chips, each with its own
hemispherical lens. Three cases are examined: LED chip 1315 at lens
1320 optical center (center of lens base 1320a) (FIG. 13C); LED
chip 1315 offset radially inward (FIG. 13D); and LED chip 1315
offset radially outward (FIG. 13E). The chip 1315 physical offset
is .about.220-230 micrometers in a 3.0 mm diameter lens 1320.
The chart in FIG. 13B shows that the amount of light as a function
of angle from the perpendicular is different for offset chip
placement vs. an on-axis placement case. In particular, offsetting
the LED chip 1315 as described with respect to the overlying lens
1320 leads to a broadening of the intensity beam profile. For this
example, the difference in light output varies by angle and is
maximum in the 30-60 degree range at -6-8%.
EXAMPLE 2
In this example, the center CA of a (2.times.2) chip array 1410 is
offset as a unit with respect to the center CL of a single
overlying lens 1420. The geometry of the array 1410 is shown in
FIG. 14A. The offset D between the center CA of the LED chip array
1410 and the center CL of the lens 1420 (lens base 1420a) is varied
and the resulting flux profile is obtained (FIG. 14B).
Referring to the data shown in FIG. 14B, a 0.3 mm offset between
the center CA of the LED chip array 1410 and the center CL of the
lens 1420 yields approximately a 10 degree shift in the position of
the emission peak. A 0.6 mm offset between the center of the LED
chip array and the center of the lens yields approximately a 20
degree shift in emission peak position.
In summary, the peak emission characteristics of the LED components
described in the present patent document may be shifted away from
the perpendicular centerline and in some cases otherwise modified
for applications where a shifted, nonuniform, broadened, and/or
multi-lobed intensity profile may be advantageous. For example, the
LED components described herein may be beneficial for displays that
are mounted above eye level of the likely viewer. The technology
may permit an LED display to be mounted flat in an elevated
location, such as a stadium, eliminating the cost and complications
for mounting the display at an angle while still allowing for more
LED light to be directed along the viewer's line of sight. The
technology may also have benefits for other display applications,
including street lights, automotive lights, and architectural
lighting.
The LED components and LED component configurations described above
can be used in lighting systems to achieve desired system output
attributes. Setting the LED components described above within a
lighting system allows the creation of a light engine that combined
with specified emissions will meet complex spatial illumination
requirements without entirely relying on secondary optics and
reflectors. FIGS. 28-34 show some examples of these systems or
boards used within these systems. The LED components 2802, 2902,
3002, 3102, 3202, 3302, 3402, shown in FIGS. 28-34 all incorporate
LED chip offsetting within a component as described above to
provide emission shifting or tilting from the LED component itself.
Therefore, the lighting systems 2800, 2900, 3000, 3100, 3200, 3300,
3400 of FIGS. 28-34 can provide tilted or shifted emission patterns
without the use of secondary optics or reflectors. These systems
can also use secondary optics and reflectors, in addition to the
offset LED components to further modify light emissions.
FIG. 28 depicts a portion of a lighting system 2800 including LED
components 2802 on a board 2812. This portion of a lighting system
2800 could later be incorporated into a housing to create a
lighting fixture. The board 2812 may be any suitable board to
support the LED components 2802 and other electronic components,
such as a power connector 2810 and other circuitry. In one example,
the board 2812 may be a PCB. The board 2812 includes holes or cut
outs 2808. These holes 2808 may be used to mount or align the board
2812 in a housing or may also be used to mount or align a secondary
optic over the board 2812. In some configurations, secondary
optics, such as additional lenses or arrays of lenses, may be
placed over the LED components 2802. Electric connector 2810 may be
any proprietary or commercially available connector, capable of
providing power to the board 2812. The configuration shown in FIG.
28 includes four LED components 2802. Other configurations can use
any number of LED components, placed on any areas of the board
2812. The LED components 2802 of this configuration include a
substrate or submount 2805. However, other configurations, such as
those in FIGS. 29 and 31 can incorporate a chip-on-board mounting
method which omits the use of a submount 2805. In yet other
configurations, other suitable LED component mounting techniques
may be used.
FIG. 29 shows a lighting system portion 2900 which includes a board
2912 with LED components 2902 arranged on the board in a
chip-on-board configuration. The board 2912 also includes a
connector 2910 and mounting or alignment holes 2908. This board is
arranged similarly to the board shown in FIG. 28, however, it
incorporates offset LED components, which are mounted using a
chip-on-board configuration, not requiring a submount. Though a
particular number and configuration of emitters, LED components,
and alignment or mounting holes are shown in these figures, it
should be understood that any number or configuration of these and
other features may be used.
FIG. 30 shows another configuration of a portion of a lighting
system 3000. This configuration includes a board 3012 with LED
components 3002 mounted to the board 3012. The board also includes
a connector 3010 and mounting or alignment holes 3008. As shown,
this configuration incorporates the use of 8 LED components with
offset emitters that are placed on submounts 3005. However, it
should be noted that this is an exemplary configuration and any
configurations of any number of LED components with any number or
shape of offset arrays of emitters may be used. FIG. 31 shows a
configuration similar to that shown FIG. 30, with alignment holes
3108, in board 3112 and connector 3110; however, the LED components
3102 are mounted using a chip-on-board configuration.
FIG. 32 is yet another configuration of a portion of a lighting
system 3200. This configuration includes a board 3212 with LED
components 3202 mounted to the board 3212. The board also includes
a connector 3210 and mounting or alignment holes 3208. As shown,
this configuration incorporates the use of 4 LED components with
offset emitters. These emitters may be similar to or different from
the emitters of other configurations. The emitters may include
surface features to improve light output or may be unmodified.
FIG. 33 is yet another configuration of a portion of a lighting
system 3300. This configuration includes a board 3312 with LED
components 3302 mounted to the board 3312. The board also includes
a connector 3310 and mounting or alignment holes 3308. As shown
this configuration incorporates the use of 5 LED components with
offset emitters that are placed on submounts 3305.
FIG. 34 is yet another configuration of a portion of a lighting
system 3400. This configuration includes a board 3412 with LED
components 3402 mounted to the board 3412. The board also includes
a connector 3410 and mounting or alignment holes 3408. As shown
this configuration incorporates the use of 4 LED components with
offset emitters.
A system such as those described above with LED packages which have
no offset will output light which is not tilted or offset, with
patterns such as those shown in FIGS. 18A, 19A, 20A, 25A, 26A, and
27A. However, systems with packages with offset LED chips or LED
chip arrays will have light emission patterns, which are tilted.
The use of offset emitters allows for LED components with shifted
or tilted emission patterns, without causing output at high angles
of the components. This is beneficial as it allows a lighting
system to have tilted emission from the LED component and primary
optics, which can either be directly output as a tilted emission or
further changed by secondary optics and reflectors to accommodate
complex spatial illumination requirements to achieve particular
system attributes. Different shapes of arrays within each LED
component can also be used to further modify the emission pattern
from the LED component itself. These features combined allow the
shaping of total light output in a more efficient manner than
relying on secondary optics and reflectors alone, as it is known
that light bending within a primary optic causes less light loss
than the use of a secondary optic for the same purpose.
Although the present invention has been described in considerable
detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other
embodiments are possible without departing from the present
invention. The spirit and scope of the appended claims should not
be limited, therefore, to the description of the preferred
embodiments contained herein. All embodiments that come within the
meaning of the claims, either literally or by equivalence, are
intended to be embraced therein. Furthermore, the advantages
described above are not necessarily the only advantages of the
invention, and it is not necessarily expected that all of the
described advantages will be achieved with every embodiment of the
invention.
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